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Few vehicles carry reputations of durability and capability like the Toyota Land Cruiser. But unfortunately, American Land Cruiser enthusiasts are facing a future without their favorite SUVs in the U.S. market.

Toyota discontinued the Land Cruiser in the U.S. market

The 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser, the last model sold in the U.S., with mountains in the background.
2021 Toyota Land Cruiser | Toyota

Toyota pulled the plug on the Land Cruiser in the U.S. market after the 2021 model year.

According to Toyota itself, the SUV left the American market after over 60 years of availability. Once Toyota debuted the all-new redesigned 300 Series Land Cruiser, it spelled the end of the marque stateside.

The Land Cruiser is a popular staple worldwide. Yet, it never caught on entirely in the U.S. outside its loyal cult following. Now, Land Cruiser lovers are seeking alternatives.

You can still buy Land Cruiser alternatives in the U.S.

While you can’t buy a new Land Cruiser in the States, there are still excellent alternatives that fill some of the same roles and niches.

The first and most obvious choice is the Lexus LX 600. The new Lexus flagship rides on the same platform and shares many mechanical components with the 300 Series Land Cruiser found abroad. It’s essentially a Land Cruiser with extra luxury bits tacked onto it.

There’s also the new Toyota Sequoia – a full-size 4×4 roughly the same size as the 300 series Land Cruiser. It uses a different platform, but the Sequoia is still a rugged body-on-frame SUV built for long-term durability. Plus, it uses the same i-Force MAX powertrain as the new Land Cruiser.

The Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX can be fantastic Land Cruiser alternatives if you’re willing to go a bit smaller. After all, they run on the same platform as the Land Cruiser Prado of the international market.

Should you get a used Toyota Land Cruiser?

Picking up a used example is a safe option for Americans who can’t buy new Land Cruisers anymore. Fortunately, you don’t have to buy a brand-new Land Cruiser to get the benefits associated with the nameplate. The Land Cruiser is known for offering bulletproof reliability, with owners frequently reporting hundreds of thousands of miles without serious issues.

Both the 100 series and 200 series Land Cruiser generations offer world-beating durability and capability with modern safety and comfort.

MotorBiscuit’s own reporting states that 100 series Land Cruisers from 2005 onward are the best options since they feature an improved five-speed transmission. Meanwhile, the 200 series Land Cruiser has practically no significant issues reported outside the 2016 model year.

They aren’t fresh off the factory floor. Still, any of these used Land Cruisers would likely serve as worthy alternatives to the new generation that has departed the U.S. market.

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Staff Writer, Producer - SUVs

Scott Prewitt

Scott Prewitt joined the MotorBiscuit team in 2023 as a Staff Writer for the SUV section. During college, he began his career in journalism as Editor in Chief of The Creightonian. After graduating from Creighton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, News and Public Relations, Scott spent time in a local newsroom. He soon found his way to the world of automotive journalism and has been writing about cars since 2017.

A passion for all things automotive began at a young age. Playing Gran Turismo racing games in the early 2000s sparked an interest in cars and Scott began devouring Car and Driver stories when he was in the fourth grade. Since then, Scott’s enthusiasm for autos has grown to become the focal point of his career as a journalist.

By combining the skills that earned him the News Graduate of the Year 2016 and the Omaha Press Club Recognition & Academic Scholarship with a craving for knowledge of automotive industry, Scott covers a wide range of content from breaking news about the latest SUV models to designated off-road and overlanding rigs. His reporting is informed by personal experiences like road trips, intriguing automotive history, and time spent poring over various outlets and YouTube channels. Scott is drawn to car culture because, in his own words,  “these vehicles are a combination of purpose-built engineering and emotive, expressive design.”

The personal aspects of the autos world are of particular interest to Scott, and he is fascinated by the relationship between humans and cars. Years of writing for dealerships across the country and time in the corporate communications world lend to his expertise as a writer here at MotorBiscuit.